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Entry 2 by Damilola Kuku

The leper knew she was pregnant. It wasn’t because she had added weight on the backside that he liked to feast his eyes upon. “I guess a mad woman’s buttocks are as good as any other.” he thought. He knew because she ate double of whatever the Aboki sold to her nowadays. He watched her every move religiously so he noticed any changes. She wasn’t aware of it, which made it more exciting.

Her pregnancy wasn’t the only thing he knew about her. He also knew about her and Rosco.

“Stupid woman. I wonder what she sees in him. Every time he whistles, she answers like a puppy. Sometimes, I wonder if she is mad or just faking it so she can survive. After all, this is Lagos, survival takes different forms.” He concluded.

Ironically, her honesty was one of the reasons he liked her. She didn’t pretend she was normal like the rest of the people he saw from under his umbrella. She was abnormal and proud of it. This made her saner than most. The other people wore clothes to mask their madness, although their actions belied their dressing. Everyone was always in a rush. It was such a tiring sight.

This was why he liked watching her. She was a refreshing sight. She never rushed, even when she fought. She fought with ease.

The other day she bit the man that sold recharge card for calling her names. It was as if she meant to sample the man’s hand instead of her usual breakfast. It was so funny, he couldn’t help himself. He laughed till he felt something wet in his pants.

He also had a feeling she thought it was Rosco’s baby. What she didn’t know was, while she slept, he would crawl up to her, and empty himself in between her legs. She was such a deep sleeper. She would sometimes stir but she never woke fully. He was grateful she never woke up. However, he couldn’t help feeling insulted. Was he that bad that he couldn’t get a response from a mad woman? There were times he would ram into her just to see if she would open her eyes but all she did was snore harder.

He didn’t care that she did not notice him during the day; he knew he would get his revenge at night after she finished with that man. Maybe it was their encounters that wore her out, whatever the reasons, he did not care.

All he cared about was her pregnancy. He was a leper during the day but he was her faceless lover at night. This child would prove to her and others, that he was a man no matter the circumstances or time of the day.

He looked closely at her as she walked across the street again. “Yes, she is pregnant with my child.” He assured himself with a smile. He turned away from her and attacked the passer-by with his usual song of sorrow.